


Thanksgiving

by elizabeth_darcy



Series: Pride and Prejudice Oneshots [12]
Category: Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms, Pride and Prejudice (1995), Pride and Prejudice (2005), Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Modern Era, Mutual Pining, Pining, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Dinner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-02 00:17:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11497803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizabeth_darcy/pseuds/elizabeth_darcy
Summary: Darcy asks Lizzy to pretend to be his girlfriend at his family's Thanksgiving dinner.Darcy's parents do not approve.





	1. Darcy Family Dinner

 

"I still don't understand why you picked me," I said as Darcy turned off the car engine. Memories of what I had said to him last summer flashed through my mind and I held back a cringe. I didn't understand why he would even want to talk to me, let alone ask me to spend a whole night with him at his _family's Thanksgiving dinner._

He just chuckled, "Remember when you met my Aunt Catherine?"

"... Yeah," I rolled my eyes. Boy, had that night been a trainwreck!

"Let's just say that my parents are exactly like that."

" _What_?" I choked, "Then why on earth did you think it'd be a good idea to invite _me_?! They'll kick me out of the house before the food is served!" I was used to friends bringing friends to family dinners and pretending they were dating to stop overbearing parents, but purposely bringing someone that parents would hate?

"I invited you because everyone else I know is scared shitless by them, and I need a girl who won't let them walk all over her. Besides, I can't wait to watch someone put my parents in their place," he grinned, "God knows it's never happened in their whole lives."

"You could have warned me."

"You wouldn't have come."

_I almost didn't come regardless._

I was mortified simply being around him after everything I'd yelled at him over the summer; I would have never agreed to this in the first place if I didn't feel like I owed him a massive favor.

"Is there anything I should know before I go in?" I asked, not keen on making the same mistake I made by judging Darcy prematurely.

"Just don't touch anything priceless and you should be fine."

_Great_.

He gave me a thumbs up and moved to get out of the car before pausing. I watched the smile drain from his face as he turned back toward me, "Also... uh... I don't expect this to happen, but we... we might have to hold hands or kiss or something. I don't see why, but I'm not entirely sure how they're gonna react," he stopped awkwardly, "Would that... would that be okay, or...?"

I raised an eyebrow, pushing down the rush of emotions in my stomach, "Of course it's okay. I agreed to do this in the first place; I knew what it could entail."

"Oh, okay," he replied, surprised, "Is there anything that's off limits or...?"

"Darcy, I'm prepared to sell this relationship. I mean, I think I've done it enough times now that I have it down."

He stopped and stared at me for a moment before looking away "Right, of course," he replied, quietly.

I bit my lip. He was disappointed that I hadn't set a rule against kissing. Surely he would detest kissing me, and if I gave him a reason not to, he would definitely take me up on it.

I took a deep breath and grabbed my purse, "Ready to go in?"

He nodded and we climbed out of the car.

 

•••

 

Darcy rang the doorbell and I took his hand in mine as we waited for someone to answer. I ignored the tingly feeling in our interlocked fingers, blaming it on the cold.

Soon enough, the door opened to... a butler. Oh. Right. If the million dollar mansion hadn't given it away first, they weren't exactly going to greet me at the front door with wide smiles and comforting hugs. It occurred to me for the first time that this would be a proper, catered meal. I frowned. That wasn't the spirit of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was gathering some of the worst cooks and screwing up cooking the turkey so the rest of us could laugh as we happily ate the ruined meal. It was _not_  four-course, five-star cuisine.

It also dawned on me that this was probably how Darcy saw Thanksgiving. I noted to bring him to a Bennet Thanksgiving some time, so he could experience what the holiday was _actually_ about.

_What are you talking about?_  I froze, _Of course that would never happen; don't be silly. Tonight isn't about you, he just needed a warm body to play the part of his girlfriend. Nothing more. Your mess of a relationship endsafter tonight._

The butler signaled us inside, took our coats, and led us to the dining room. I managed to hold in most of my shock as we wandered through elegant rooms stocked with priceless antiques. Darcy noticed, however, regarding me with a joking smile. He bit his lip to try and hide it, but was failing quite obviously.

I chuckled and elbowed him, teasingly. It was bizarre, this faux relationship we'd be upholding like this. One where we teased each other playfully rather than out of angry competition as we used to. I found that I rather enjoyed it. It was nice to be friendly with him. I ached, wishing I could have known this before we met. If things had gone differently, who knows? Maybe we'd become really close. We probably would've fit each other very well...

I pushed the what if's out of my head as we walked into the sleek dining room to find a sharply dressed middle-aged man making conversation with a middle-aged-but-desperately-trying-to-hide-it-with-botox woman dripping in diamonds. I wondered how strong she must be in order to hold herself up with so many carats of jewelry dangling off of her.

"Mom, Dad," Darcy greeted as they stood to face us, "This is Lizzy Bennet. She's my... girlfriend."

His father simply nodded and extending his hand firmly, "Dr. Darcy."

_Darcy. Right._

I probably shouldn't call Darcy "Darcy" if I'm his girlfriend...

So, then what? Will? William? _Fitzwilliam?_  What would he want to be called, if not Darcy?

Will seemed like the safest bet.

I shook Dr. Darcy's hand and smiled, "Pleased to meet you."

His mother eyed me up and down with a bad taste in her mouth and tightly clasped hands. She could probably smell the cheap price of my dress from the moment I walked into the building. She extended her hand hesitantly, hiding her grimace as she said, "Charmed."

Dar- _Will_ cleared his throat, "Yes, well. When is dinner to be served? Surely Gigi-"

"Will!" A high pitched voice squealed.

I gasped as a young teenager bounded toward Will and wrapped him into a massive hug, "You're home! Oh my God!"

"Georgiana!" Mrs. Darcy snapped, "Where are your manners? We have a... guest..."

I knew well enough that Mrs. Darcy did not care for how her "guest" saw the family, but she did care for herself. I was sure she would've reacted the same way even if I had not been there.

Some family this was.

How could it be family if you couldn't be informal? I understood that my family took informality way too far, but at least we weren't these stuck up assholes. I wondered how Will turned out as well as he did, despite all of this.

"Yes, of course," The girl recollected herself calmly before beaming up at me and extending a hand, "I'm Gigi."

I couldn't help but smile in return, "Wonderful to meet you, Gigi. I'm Lizzy."

I shook her hand and watched as her eyes flashed toward Will to give him a look I did not understand.

"The pleasure is all mine! Mom, should we sit now? Mrs. Reynolds told me to tell you they're almost done with the hors d'oeuvres."

"Yes, yes, let's sit."

Will took my arm and guided me to the chair next to his.

"Tell me, Lizzy, what do you do for a living?" Dr. Darcy asked, as we each settled into seats which I estimated at one grand each.

"Lizzy is an English teacher," Will provided for me.

My attention snapped toward Mrs. Darcy as she choked on her sip of wine from the information. I narrowed my eyes, but let it roll off my shoulders since everyone else at the table refused to acknowledge her.

"Oh!" Dr. Darcy said, quickly covering his wife's reaction, "What university?"

"Actually," I continued, "I teach high school."

Will's parents managed to hide their reactions under wry smiles.

Dr. Darcy continued, "I suppose that's just as good," he said, hesitantly, attempting to make it sound better than they believed, "Teenagers must learn somewhere, after all... So, where do you teach? Netherfield Academy? Or perhaps Pemberley?"

"Our family has quite a long tradition at Pemberley," Mrs. Darcy interjected, boastfully, "It's where Dr. Darcy and I met."

I ignored Mrs. Darcy, crediting her comment to her trying to bring the conversation topic to herself. I answered Dr. Darcy's question, "Oh, no, I teach public school," I replied, simply. 

This time they were unable to hide their reactions.

"How... _charitable_ of you."

I narrowed my eyes, "I teach because I want to help nurture and grow the minds of our youth. I hope to help as many children as possible do the best they can. I help them turn their life around and build something brighter for their futures. There's nothing I can do for a private schooler who is guaranteed a bright future whether they work hard or not."

Rage flickered across Mrs. Darcy's face and she held up her chin, biting back at me, "How dare you insinuate that private schoolers don't work hard! _I_ went to private school and-"

"You mentioned that already," I said, sweetly, "And you're the one who came to that conclusion, not me. I never said all private schoolers were lazy, I said they were guaranteed a future whether they were lazy or not. Some of my students, however, work their tails off just to afford community college. It's quite impressive to see the lengths they take with their own education in order to achieve their goals."

"You never answered what school," Gigi spoke up, softly. My fury immediately dissipated at the genuineness of her question. What a contrast that was to her parents...

"Longbourn High," I told her, smiling at her curiosity. I bit back the urge to glare at her parents, as I could feel their disgust radiating off of them.

She smiled back.

Some butlers then came in, placing too many platters of food on the table. I mean, really, there was no way we would even make a dent in this! How could they waste so much on simple appetizers?!

I served myself some of whatever unfamiliar, fancy food was on the table and held in my anger as the conversation flowed in my head over again. The rudeness of them! How awful to react in such a way right in front of the person they're speaking of! I mean, they didn't even-

I froze and stiffened as Will's hand brushed mine under the table and tentatively interlocked our fingers. I willed away the blush flowing to my cheeks.

'You're doing great,' he mouthed, revealing a small grin at his amusement with our argument.

_Well, I'm glad you're amused..._

After several more painful minutes of silence- _so that's where Will gets his silent streak!_ \- I looked over at Gigi.

"What grade are you in, Gigi?"

She looked up, surprised I was addressing her, "I'm a junior."

"Oh, cool! Do you know what career you might want to go into?"

Her eyes lit up, "Yes! I want-" she caught sight of her parents and faltered. The excitement drained from her face before she continued solemnly, "I'm going to be a nurse."

"She's going to come work at the hospital with me," Dr. Darcy elaborated, joyfully, "It will be nice to see such a beautiful face during a hard day's work."

Gigi just nodded. I longed to be alone with her in order to discover what she really wanted.

This girl had such a strong spirit and attitude, and it bothered me tremendously to watch as her parents continued to throw water on her flames. It was such a disservice. If only she attended Longbourn! She would surely become one of my favorite students immediately.

I made a mental note to talk to Will about my fondness for her later.

"William, they're keeping the country club open tomorrow for exclusive members," Dr. Darcy casually changed the subject, "Mr. Fitzwilliam and I have decided to take advantage of the emptiness: Clear your schedule all day, and we'll go golfing like we used to!"

Will visibly tensed, "Dad, you know I hate it there."

"Nonsense! You begged me to go there almost every week when you were in high school!"

Will's hand clenched angrily in mine.

He opened his mouth to reply, but I cut in first, "I don't mean to intrude on your plans, Dr. Darcy, but my family is having our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, and Will already promised he would come. My mom's been excited to meet him all week; I would hate to disappoint her."

Dr. Darcy's smile faded with distaste toward me, "Well, surely he can come at least in the morning!"

I looked at Will for help but only met his widened eyes at my previous statement, "I... suppose he could, but my family has plans for the entire day. Yes, we have dinner, but we spend the whole day cooking together in the kitchen. It's my family's favorite holiday, actually, and I was really hoping that Will would be a part of it this year. It's pretty important to me that he be there."

Will snapped out of his shock and turned to his father, "She's right. I already agreed to be there. I can't _disrespect their family_ like that; I have to _keep my word_."

It was quite a bizarre thing of him to say, but after seeing the way Dr. Darcy's jaw set, I assumed keeping ones word had been a rough spot between them in the past. Luckily, Will had been clever enough to drudge whatever it was up, as Dr. Darcy finally agreed to let him off the hook, "I suppose it will just be me and Mr. Fitzwilliam."

"I'll go too, dear," Mrs. Darcy added. She plunged into a conversation concerning something or other about the club.

I returned to my food, not listening, when Darcy whispered over toward me.

" _Thank you_."

I looked over at him and smiled, "You're welcome."

He smiled back and something in my heart fluttered.

Soon, the main courses were brought out and we fell into another silence as we all took what we wanted. Silence was all too normal at the Darcy dinner table.

I frowned, pitying this family.

This was no Thanksgiving dinner. They didn't prepare the food themselves, they didn't talk, and they acted much too formal. Everyone was politely passing the plentiful amounts of food.

In my house, it was war to get to the mashed potatoes before they ran out. And you better believe that getting your hands on a crescent roll was nearly impossible.

My family of 7 paired with my uncle's family of 5 and my aunt's family of 6 meant that we had 18 mouths to feed, let alone counting any guests that were brought. No one got any food _ever_.

Here, though, there was no rush to grab as much food as you possibly could, nor was there need for it, as each person could have everything they wanted and more.

I took enough turkey to knock me out from tryptophan and plenty of crescent rolls so I would have no need to fight for one tomorrow. However, those items were some of the only ones I recognized on the whole table. _What even was most of this stuff?_

I didn't dare ask, knowing it would gain more disdainful looks from Will's parents. Not to mention, most of the names would probably be complicated French words which I wouldn't understand anyway.

"Do you read much?" I asked, trying to ignite conversation again.

"Of course we read," Mrs. Darcy snapped, "We're not stupid."

I gave an exasperated glance to Will before continuing, "I was just curious as to what your favorite books are. Being an English teacher makes me very interested in what people read. I think it says a lot about a person."

"Lizzy's favorite book is _War and Peace_ ," Will aided.

I blinked toward him, shocked that he would remember that. I'd mentioned it offhandedly once _months_ ago.

"Oh, we don't read fiction..." Mrs. Darcy replied, haughtily.

I almost laughed. This family was impossible. I swear, if I'd said I only read nonfiction, they still would've found some way to hate me.

"Okay, what about music?"

"We listen to Gigi play piano, usually," Will told me.

I raised an eyebrow and turned to her, surprised, "What songs do you play?"

She blushed and shrugged, "I don't know. Everything."

"I'd love to hear it sometime," I said honestly. I made another mental note to ask Darcy about that later.

"I'm sure you would," Mrs. Darcy cut in rudely.

I clenched my haw, attempting to ignore her, "One of my favorite modern composers is Ludovico Einaudi, do you play anything by him?"

Gigi's eyes lit up, "Oh, yes! I learned Oltremare just last week-"

"Who do you take her for, of course she knows Einaudi!" Mrs. Darcy interrupted.

I glared at her, unable to handle her snark anymore. "Will," I said, gritting my teeth and not taking my eyes off of Mrs. Darcy, "Could you show me to the restroom?"

I pushed away from the table more aggressively than I should have and followed Will down the hallway, far out of earshot.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

"I know; I'm sorry."

"The way they talk to me is atrocious on its own, but the way they treat Gigi! My God!"

"I know."

"So, what do we do?"

"'Do?'"

I scoffed, "Oh, come on, you don't just expect me to sit there and take their shit, do you? Absolutely not! No, we are going back in there ready for war."

Darcy only chuckled, "So, what's your battle strategy?"

"I do have one idea..." It was a stretch, though.

"Okay?"

"They hate me. So we can use that to our advantage if we ramp up our relationship."

"What?"

"We're going to make it painfully clear we're dating."

"But... we're not dating."

"They don't know that. I mean, they obviously hate me. What would make them angrier than to see that we're super involved! They'll go nuts! You wanted me to piss them off, right? Well this is how you do it!"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Just kissing... maybe making out but nothing past."

He swallowed uncomfortably, "And how exactly would we lead into that?"

"No idea! We'll just wing it. Whenever it feels right."

In reality, I was panicking and screaming at myself to stop suggesting this. This was an awful idea, especially when I already knew I had no chance with Darcy normally. Why on earth would I have us kiss? Just to see what I could've had if I wasn't such an assuming douche?!

"And you're sure you're okay with this?" he asked, hesitantly.

I hated pushing him into this, but I wanted to get back at his parents too much to care.

"Definitely."

 

•••

 

" _War and Peace_ is a ridiculous story. Why on earth was that Tolstoy man so obsessed with adultery?! It's vulgar and disgusting."

I blinked, and looked over to Darcy, unable to decipher if she was messing with me. He just took another sip of his drink.

I unclenched one of my fists under the table, attempting to reply calmly, "The whole point is that adultery is sinful. The characters who engage in adultery are condemned, unless they repent. When Russian society discovered what you had done, they would reject you. When Helene got pregnant with another man's baby, she committed suicide. And it's in all of Tolstoy's works, Anna Karenina commits suicide after her adultery as well. Tolstoy is saying that what they're doing is wrong and that the bad are punished for their wrongs - though one could argue slightly against that as the women are punished much more than the men. I mean, it's all there in the text if you just read it."

Mrs. Darcy laughed, "Well I certainly haven't read it and never will."

I wanted to lift the table and throw it across the room. _Then why the fuck are you arguing with me?!_

" _War and Peace_ is over a thousand pages, right?" Gigi asked.

Again, my anger faded as I turned and nodded at her, "Yes, it is. Though I've always found it to go rather fast."

"That must be a really heavy book," she joked.

I shrugged, light heartedly, "Depends on the version. I have a gold edged copy that my sister got me for my birthday last year which is as thick as you'd imagine, but I have a pocket edition - or as close to a pocket edition as you can get with this story - that's a pretty reasonable size. The font's terribly small though. You can borrow it, if you want," I suggested.

Gigi's eyes widened with excitement, but her mother cut her off (again!).

"She most certainly will not," Mrs. Darcy laughed, "She has much better uses of her time than reading bizarre Russian-"

My ringtone set off, interrupting her. I looked at Caller ID.

"Of course she wouldn't turn off her phone for dinner," Mrs. Darcy muttered.

I glared up at her, "I did turn off my phone, but I have it set to go off if there's an emergency. Excuse me," I glared, getting up and answering the call.

"Jane, what's wrong?"

"Nothing deadly," she prefaced. I sighed with slight relief as she continued, "Lydia broke her leg. We're at the hosptial."

"How did she manage to do that?" I huffed.

"She was trying to hop the fence and break into that country club uptown."

"Why?"

"I don't know, her boyfriend works there."

"What boyfriend?"

"George Wickham, remember?"

"She's _dating_ that scumbag?"

"Woah, what's changed your mind? You practically had a crush on him a few months ago."

"Not anymore. He's human garbage. Lydia is not allowed to date him anymore."

"Yeah, like she'll follow _your_ orders."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. What hospital are you guys at?"

"We're driving to St. Jude's right now."

"Perfect, I'll be there soon."

"Love you."

"Love you."

I clicked off, and took a deep sigh before reentering the hellscape of a dining room.

"It appears my younger sister has broken her leg."

"What happened?" Gigi asked, eyes wide.

I shrugged, brushing it off casually, "Long story."

I didn't need them to disapprove of me in yet another way because my annoying baby sister was trying to break into some country club.

Wait...

Was it the same country club they were talking about going to?

And... _Wickham_...

That would explain why Will didn't want to go.

I mentally high fived Past-Lizzy for helping him avoid that.

"I'm sorry, but I need to go see her. They're headed to St. Jude's now."

"Ah, well, pity you'll miss dessert," Mrs. Darcy replied, mockingly.

"Pity, indeed," I growled back.

The whole party stood and began leading me back toward the front door.

Once we made it outside, I had already waved goodbye to Gigi and gave Dr. Darcy another handshake when Mrs. Darcy stopped me, "May I speak with you alone, Lizzy?"

"I'm kind of pressed for time to get to the hospital-"

"It will only take a moment."

I set my jaw, but followed her down the well-lit garden path anyway.

Once we were nearly out of earshot, she turned to me abruptly, "You aren't good enough for William."

" _Excuse me_?"

"Don't play around, you heard what I said. I want you out of Will's life."

"What gives you the right to command his life like that?"

"I am his _mother_!"

"And I am his girlfriend! One of us he chose to spend time with, the other one he's forced to."

"How dare you!"

"How dare _you_ tell _me_ I'm not good enough for him! I cannot believe you expect me to just agree to what you say! No, I will absolutely not stop seeing Will."

She narrowed her eyes, "I'm sure you see it yourself. You two are clearly unequal."

"Fine! Maybe we are! But perhaps you should trust him to figure that out himself! It's his own damn life, who he dates is his own choice!"

"Listen to me," she ordered, "You will break up with him immediately or I will make your life a living hell. All it takes is three phone calls to the right people and your life will be ruined forever."

I narrowed my eyes, "You want me to break up with him? Fine." I turned toward where we'd left the others behind, "Will! Come here!"

Her eyes widened, alarmed. I wondered how many girlfriends of Will that she had threatened. I could tell none of them had reacted like this- offering to do it in front of her. But I was also sure that none of them would have continued to date Will afterwards.

Will walked over to me, confused, "Yes, Lizzy?"

I grabbed his tie and yanked him toward me into a kiss. I slid my hands into his hair and kissed him harder, with as much passion as I could (which was shockingly not at all hard to conjure up).

Will played along at first, recognizing this as me pissing off his mom, but eventually dropped it and pulled away.

Ignoring the immense dejection I felt as he turned away from me, I did the same.

Mrs. Darcy could barely contain her rage.

I pushed past my embarrassment at kissing Will when he was clearly so uninterested, and took his hand in mine, "His life is his choice. You have no say in it. So I suggest you stop bullying everyone he meets into following your orders, because all it does is make the situation worse. If you weren't always looking for flaws, maybe you'd find that there are people who truly love him- and that should be enough of what you want in your son's partner. I may not be what you want, but I promise that I want what's best for him. And if he thinks that's me, I'm not going to refuse." I took a deep breath and turned back towards the car, not looking at Will as I said, "Come on. Let's go to the hospital."

 

•••

 

"I'm sorry I ruined your family dinner," I said quietly as we rode downtown.

"'Ruin?' Lizzy, that was the least painful dinner I've ever attended in that house."

" _Seriously_?"

He chuckled as he took a left at the green light, "Trust me, I've been through a lot worse."

"That sucks," I muttered, "I'm sorry your family dinners are so awful."

He shrugged, "Can't pick your family."

"Yeah, but _that_? That's not how family should act."

"Oh? And how should they act?"

"I don't know, maybe support you and your decisions? That would be a great place to start..."

"They like to think that they know what's best for me."

"I noticed," I rolled my eyes. I turned to face him, "Also, you didn't even make the dinner yourselves! What the hell! Catering isn't Thanksgiving. Neither is having a nice, well-mannered dinner. It's practically blasphemous."

"Is it?" he laughed, "Well, I'd love to know what Thanksgiving would be like at your house!"

I looked down at my lap, "You can, if you want."

"What?"

I shrugged self-consciously, "I mean, I offered it earlier. I know I said it to get you out of that situation, but you can still come, if you want."

He didn't speak for a while, simply looking ahead at the road. My stomach lurched as I realized he was trying to find a way out of it. Maybe he should have stuck with the golfing anyway. Obviously, he didn't-

"Okay."

" _Okay_?" I asked, shocked.

He chuckled, "Yeah, sure."

"Alright, cool," I replied, trying to push down my explosive excitement. 

I didn't allow myself to consider why I was so excited to spend more time with him, instead telling him, "My mother's going to kill me for giving her another mouth to feed..."


	2. Bennet Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Will? Can I give you a tip?" Lizzy had said last night, once she gotten out of his car, "Don't wear that."  
> I had looked down at my suit, then looked back up at her befuddled, "Why not?"  
> "You'll be made fun of all night," she laughed, "The rest of us just wear Christmas sweaters."

_"Will? Can I give you a tip?" Lizzy had said last night, once she gotten out of his car, "Don't wear that."_

_I had looked down at my suit, then looked back up at her befuddled, "Why not?"_

_"You'll be made fun of all night," she laughed, "The rest of us just wear Christmas sweaters."_

 

 

I held up the sweater in front of myself for the millionth time. It took over two hours to pick out and I still wasn't sure if it was good enough.

"And you're sure she'll like it?" I asked Gigi as she flew down the highway.

"Oh my god! Will, come on! She won't care about your stupid sweater! She didn't invite you to see what you'd be wearing, dumby."

"She didn't invite me at all. She was only trying to save me from Dad."

"But she held her word! If she really didn't want you to go, she would have told you so. Honestly, Will, give the girl some credit."

I remained silent, still unsure. I didn't know what any of it meant. What the holding hands meant, what the kiss meant, what the dinner invitation meant.

"How did it feel that she called you Will?" Gigi asked, giddily.

I pushed away the burning in my cheeks at the memory. She'd never called me by my first name. No one did besides my family, because I detested it.

_But I definitely didn't detest it from her..._

"That's what I thought!" Gigi squealed at my lack of an answer.

I bit my lip to hide my smile as she began babbling on about how much she loved the dinner with Lizzy.

_Me too, Gigi,_ I sighed to myself, _Me too._

 

•••

"Welcome!" Lizzy grinned, opening the door of her parents' house. My heart practically skipped a beat as I admired how beautiful she was.

How did she look better in a worn sweater with her hair up than she did last night wearing that gorgeous dress with her hair curled?

I would never know.

I snapped out of my idiotic, frozen state when we heard a crash come from behind her.

" _Kitty!_ " A high voice screamed.

I watched, surprised, as Kitty giggled and sprinted across the hall. An angry Mary Bennet followed closely after, growling uncomprehensibly as she ran.

Lizzy turned back to me, chuckling, "'Welcome to a _real_ Thanksgiving' is what I meant to say."

I furrowed my brow and laughed, confused, but followed as she ushered me into the house.

"So, this is my mom and dad's house. It's where we all grew up. It's not very large- definitely no where near fit to hold seven people- but it worked out somehow."

"Lizzy!" Jane's voice called from the kitchen, "Can you help clean this up?" 

Lizzy frowned but yelled back her consent nonetheless.

"Follow me," she instructed me, turning around to head toward the kitchen. I followed her across the hallway and caught sight of numerous pencil marks scribbled on the inside if the door frame, each with a name, a date, and a height of one of the many Bennet girls.

Huh. I'd always thought that was just a thing on sitcoms.

It was... cute. Adorable, actually. I noticed the ones with Lizzy's name scribbled next to them and smiled to myself, imagining a 6-year-old Lizzy at three and a half feet tall. Even at that age, I was certain she was still as spirited and courageous as she was now.

"Darcy?"

I tore my eyes away from the marks on the wall.

" _Charlie?_ " I asked, shocked, noticing my best friend standing on the opposite side of the kitchen. I'd told him to reconcile with Jane and I knew they got back together, but I had no idea that'd he be at the family Thanksgiving. That seemed too soon to be at a family holiday, why on earth were they taking their relationship so fast?

_What are you even talking about?_ I reminded myself, shaking my head,  _ **You're** at a family holiday and you aren't even dating Lizzy..._

"Dude, why on earth are you here?" Charlie asked, dumbfounded yet merry nonetheless.

"Lizzy invited me," I said slowly,  realizing how ridiculous that sounded.

Charlie's eyebrows shot upwards and he looked at Lizzy for confirmation.

I waited for her to deny the legitimacy of the invitation and explain the situation, but she simply shrugged, nodded, and moved on to helping Jane.

I followed her direction and found the culprit of the crash- a large glass bowl containing some kind of batter had crashed onto the ground and spilled everywhere.

Lizzy quickly gathered a dustpan from a side closet and began scooping up as much as she could and scraping it off into a nearby trashcan.

"Poor Mary, she tries every year but none of her desserts even make it to the table..."

Lizzy stopped where she was in cleaning and glared at Jane, "You only say that because we've all chosen to pretend like The Pudding Incident of '09 never happened."

Jane froze and bit her lip.

Lizzy laughed at her sister's admittance and continued scooping.

"Is this a 'normal' Thanksgiving, Lizzy?" I joked.

She laughed, "Actually, yes. It's not really Thanksgiving unless someone's favorite kitchenware is broken. Last year it was my NYC mug, _Mary_." She yelled that accusation toward the hallway so the accused one could hear it.

"She said she was sorry," Jane answered instead.

"She says a lot of things," Lizzy grumbled.

Jane just shook her head and smiled.

I found myself smiling, too. It wasn't even noon yet and their Thanksgiving had already gone wrong, and yet everyone was having such a fun time with one another. Fun being a relative term, as I'm sure they didn't consider it like that, but _I_  found it fun. They may be chasing and teasing each other, but it was still all coming from a place of love. I began to understand why Lizzy held this holiday so near to her heart. My own family would never behave in such a way around each other. Especially not with two guests in the room watching.

Lizzy sighed and dumped the last major pieces of the mess into the trashcan.

"Rest in peace Mom's favorite bowl from her trip to Europe."

"Wait, that was the one from Europe? I thought that was the one Aunt G. gave her?"

"No, that one had blue swirls on the edging."

"Mom's going to freak out!" Jane panicked.

"As opposed to...?"

"Lizzy!"

Lizzy laughed, "Oh, come on! She's not even going to notice. So we just won't tell her until tomorrow, when Dad will be the only one around to deal with her dramatics."

"What will Dad be the only one around to deal with?" Mr. Bennet joked, coming in from the front room and removing a scarf from around his head.

Lizzy held the trash can out in front of her, "Telling Mom that Kitty broke her favorite bowl."

"The one from Aunt G?"

"No!" Lizzy rolled her eyes, "The one you got her in Europe."

"She still has that piece of junk? Well, good riddance! It was worth practically nothing anyway, and she could use more people breaking her things. It removes from her hoarding."

Lizzy chuckled in agreement, and scraped another piece into the trash.

Mr. Bennet then turned to Charlie and I.

"Ah, hello there. I was unaware we were having guests," he held out his hand and I shook it firmly, giving my best attempt at a smile.

He nodded back at me before turning to Charlie and giving him a handshake.

Charlie easily slid into a warm grin and soon the two men were speaking of a subject I knew nothing about.

My jaw tightened from jealousy of their easy temperaments. Mr. Bennet didn't care for me much, and it was obviously because of my inability to speak with ease and merriment. But he needed to like me. Maybe if I ask him about--

I stopped. Why did I care how he felt about me? Lizzy's invitation was a one-time thing; after tonight, we'd return to our seperate lives. Mr. Bennet's opinion shouldn't matter.

... But perhaps if I-

"Will?"

Lizzy's voice snapped me out of my ridiculous thoughts and I watched as she picked up some supplies and jerked her head in the direction of the doorway behind her, "Follow me."

I happily complied, and smiled to myself at her use of my first name. I was sure that it would've ended last night, but I suppose she was now in the habit.

I entered the dining room and sat down across from her as she laid out her supplies.

"Have you ever made an apple pie before?"

I shook my head.

She rolled her eyes, exasperated, "Is your family even American? Jeez louise. Alright, well, you're going to learn today. And if you want, I can send the recipe to you so you and Gigi can make it together."

I brightened, "Yeah, that would be great."

She smiled up at me and I felt my chest expand, happily.

My parents may have not done much for me Thanksgiving-wise, but they did give me the opportunity to be with Lizzy right now.

And I had never been more thankful in my life.

 

•••

 

"Grab as much as you possibly can, as quickly as you can," Lizzy whispered to me as we sat around a packed dinner table.

" _What?_ "

"Will. Look at the amount of food there is at the table. Now look at the amount of people that are here."

I shrugged. There was a _lot_ of food on the table, surely it wouldn't be hard for everyone to get a good amount?

Lizzy sighed and shook her head, "You're such a rookie. Just trust me, okay? What is the thing you want the most at the table?"

I surveyed everything, "The crescent rolls." I decided. I'd rolled those with her an hour ago, and I would love to try one.

Lizzy laughed, "Out of the question. Pick something else."

"How is it out of the question? We made thirty!"

"You'd be surprised how ruthless the children are. Robbie managed to get his hands on six last year. _Six!_ "

"I don't understand a word you're saying."

"I know," she chuckled to herself, "Fine, go for a crescent roll. I'll handle everything else."

I still had absolutely no idea what she meant. Why on earth were we prioritizing our Thanksgiving dinner selections? It made no sense.

Mr. Bennet stood up to make a toast, "I know everyone is antsy to eat, so I'll make this quick: I am thankful for a great many things: I'm thankful for my own comfortable life, I'm thankful for my beautiful daughters, and I'm even thankful for my exhausting wife. I love everyone at this table very dearly, and I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather spend my holidays with. I've been truly blessed by each of you. Even the two young men at the end of the table," he nodded toward Charlie and I, "What a special occasion it is to host you here as well."

"Because Lord knows that Lizzy has never brought _anyone_ to a family dinner! Not even Charlotte Lucas!" Mrs. Bennet chimed in, giggling, "'Special occasion' indeed!"

I watched as Lizzy glared angrily at her mother and felt my own face grow hot.

Had she really never invited anyone until me? Especially not even Charlotte, who was practically a part of this family anyway?

_What did that say about me?_

I didn't allow myself to entertain that thought for much longer, knowing it would only mean danger for me.

Mr. Bennet finished his speech, and ended with "Happy Thanksgiving! Now let us eat!"

The whole table exploded around me as everyone fought to get to the food they wanted. I froze in the chaos for a moment, before setting my eyes on the crescent roll basket.

I lunged for it, and managed to wrangle one from the bottom as the ones from the top quickly disappeared.

I pulled away and smiled at my victory, turning to see Lizzy fighting for mounds of turkey.

I laughed, realizing that this was what Lizzy was used to when she said 'normal Thanksgiving.'

What she must have thought when she was at _my_ family's dinner!

I managed to collect one of the last scoops of mashed potatoes as well as a tiny portion of corn.

I relaxed as the majority of the chaos ended and surveyed what Lizzy and I had collected.

"Very impressive!" She said, admiring the things I had managed to get, "I shouldn't have doubted you."

"Damn right," I grinned.

We split everything we had gotten between us, and I enjoyed possibly the best dinner I had ever had.

It was funny. Most of the food was burned or undercooked or prepared with the wrong ingredients, and we were eating it on paper plates and drinking soda out of the can. My mind was trying to convince me of how ridiculous and uncivilized that was (Caroline would have a great time tearing them to shreds if she knew), but I couldn't find the will to care about that anymore. I liked it here.

Everyone was so genuine. They messed up the food and they didn't mind. They loved each other and they didn't mind telling each other, albeit in between silly fights. It was wonderful, and I actually envied Lizzy for it. _If only my past self from last summer could see me now, envying the Bennet family..._

The table broke into many different conversations quickly, erupting in a loudness I had never experienced at dinner.

"At least Lydia didn't make the green beans this year," Mary huffed.

"Lydia didn't make anything this year."

"Thank God," Lizzy muttered under her breath.

"Hey!" Lydia frowned across from us. There was a thud under the table and Lizzy lurched forward in pain.

"What the hell, Lydia, using your cast leg is out of bounds!" Lizzy hissed, clutching her leg.

"No kicking each other under the table!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed from the opposite end of the room.

Lydia smiled smugly, "Yes, Mom."

_Kicking under the table? And kicking hard, especially with Lydia's broken leg boot?_ Jesus Christ, I felt like I was in a different dimension. That would be unheard of at my house.

"'Yes, Mom,'" Lizzy mocked Lydia, rubbing her bruised shin.

These Bennet girls were vicious.

"So, Darcy!" Lydia glared across to me, "That's a pretty swanky sports car you drove here in... Can I drive it later?" I bit the side of my cheek to keep from saying anything mean. But what was I supposed to do? There was no way in hell I would let her touch my car, let alone drive it...

"You have a broken leg, Lydia, you can't even drive," Jane told her.

"So, I'll drive with my other foot!"

"Absolutely not," Lizzy said, firmly, saving me from yet another one of my problems.

Lydia whined, "Come on, _please_?"

"No, Lydia. I don't even let you drive _my_ car anymore, you definitely aren't driving his."

"Ugh! But that was one time Lizzy, and I didn't even mean to!"

"What do you mean you didn't mean to? You were racing to see how-"

"Fine! Whatever! But it's not your car Lizzy, you don't get to decide." She turned to me.

"I agree with Lizzy," I managed to nod.

She rolled her eyes and shoved a spoonful of corn into her mouth, dejected.

Lizzy smiled over at me and took my hand under the table.

My stomach flipped and I lost my breath.

Tonight was quickly becoming one of the best ones of my life.

"So, Will," Lizzy began, turning those stunning brown eyes to me, "Tell me about Gigi. What does she actually want to be when she grows up?"

I stared at her for a moment, enraptured with how I'd managed to find someone just so perfect (and yet I still messed it up).

"She wants to go into book publishing, actually."

"Oh my god, no way! That's so awesome! Darn it, I wish I'd been able to talk with her about that. Charlotte interned at the publishing company that her boyfriend works at, I could probably pull some strings and get her an internship. Now I really do need to get her that copy of _War and Peace_! Text me her number and I'll work something out... Damn, I wish she went to my school, there's a few different programs that my department offers that could really help her..."

I bit back a fond smile and nodded, "I'm sure she'll be excited to take whatever you can offer. And it is a shame. She had a lot of trouble at Pemberley, so my parents transferred her to Netherfield and she's not happy there either. I think she'd like a public school. They'd never allow it, though."

She shook her head, "That's such a shame. Nonetheless, I'm sure I could still find her a few connections."

I smiled to myself at her kindness. _How on earth had I stumbled across such a wonderful human being?_

Dessert eventually came, and, since it was brought into the room by Lizzy, we were the first to get a slice of the pie we made. (It was probably the only food that hadn't been prepared incorrectly, and I found myself to be quite proud of that.)

I also reached out to get one of the cookies Mary had baked (after a large amount of grief over her first batch), but Lizzy grabbed my hand and shook her head, solemnly. I took her warning and instead grabbed one of Jane's snickerdoodles.

 

•••

 

"Do you want a ride home?" I asked Lizzy as we stood by the door.

"No, Jane's gonna take me-" she turned around to motion back where Jane was standing, and saw Jane and Charlie kissing down the hallway. She turned back to me, "Okay... On second thought, yes."

I grinned.

"Can you wait a sec, though?" She asked, "I need to say goodbye to everyone."

I nodded and waited patiently as she rushed off to give all of her relatives hugs goodbye, before returning with a bright grin and slipping into her coat and scarf.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Ready," she nodded.

I held the door open for her as we slipped out into the snowy, November air and quickly into my car.

As we pulled out of the neighborhood, I gripped the steering wheel, thrumming my fingers across it repeatedly.

What should I say? What should I do? There was a good chance this might be the last time I see Lizzy for a long, long time. I needed to say something. _Anything_.

"Thank you for tonight," I decided, "You were right. I was missing out."

"You're welcome. It was a lot of fun having you."

"I'm glad," I replied, thinking about what her mother had said about her not inviting people.

"Thank you for inviting me to _your_ dinner," she continued.

I laughed, "I should be thanking you for that hell, too."

"Perhaps. But you still invited me. And I don't know, I didn't hate all of it. I didn't hate being with... Gigi."

I froze at her pause. _Had she almost said me?_

"Yeah," I continued, "Gigi's an amazing kid. I'll text you her number once I get home."

"Sounds like a plan," Lizzy agreed, staring out her passenger window as our conversation died.

_Nice going,_ I rolled my eyes, _You barely talked for a minute._

I spent the rest of the car ride trying to think of another subject to bring up, but I had nothing that wouldn't lead back to an argument that we'd had in the past.

God, why was it so difficult to talk to her?!

Once we'd reached her apartment, I'd decided to just come out with it.

"Lizzy," I started, putting the car in park, "I don't... Has anything... changed? I know that's ridiculous of me to ask, but we've spent so much time together these last two days, and then there was that kiss?"

"Will-"

"I know; it was just you playing it off to piss off my mom, but it still... Did it mean anything to you?"

She hesitated, "Did it mean anything to you?"

I blinked, "Well,  _yeah_ , of _course_ it meant something to me, Lizzy."

"It did?" She replied gently.

I furrowed my brow, puzzled, "Was it not obvious?" Just a few months ago I told her how much I loved her, how could she be surprised that it meant something to me?

"Obvious when you pulled away? No, sorry, it wasn't."

My heart sank and my mouth fell open slightly, "Is that how you saw it?"

Lizzy ran a hand through her hair, frustrated, "Is that not what it was?"

"Lizzy," I said seriously, "I did it because that kiss was showing me everything I wanted and reminding me I couldn't have it. And I couldn't handle it. I _love_ you, Lizzy. And it's okay that you don't love me, I want to respect your feelings-"

"But I do."

I froze, "What?"

She swallowed, "I... I love you."

My mouth dried as it hung completely open, "Excuse me?"

She laughed, breathily, "I love you, okay? I don't know how or when it happened, but, I mean, I was sitting there at dinner and thinking to myself that I never wanted tonight to end. Thanksgiving usually gives me that feeling, but never like this. It was because of you. I realized that I want you by my side everywhere. I love you."

I exhaled, still shocked, before leaning forward and just kissing her. My brain had disconnected from my voice from utter surprise and elation, and it was all I could do anymore to simply kiss her.

She smiled against my lips and ran her hands through my hair.

This time I let myself melt against her, moving forward to cup her jaw as she pulled me even closer.

"Remind me to send a thank you letter to your parents," Lizzy whispered, jokingly.

 

•••

 

**[3 years later** **]**

 

Lizzy looked over at me with determined, concentrated eyes and gave me a single, solid nod. I knew what she meant- we had discussed the topic at length on the car ride over.

She'd plotted several battle strategies, each to ensure maximum earnings of food.

Mr. Bennet stood, contently, "This year, I am more thankful than ever before. I am thankful for my siblings, my wife, my children, my soon-to-be grandchild," he nodded towards Jane's growing belly, "My son in law," he nodded to Charlie, "And, of course, Darcy," he finished. He winked at me, knowing that by next Thanksgiving he would (hopefully) be saying "sons-in-law." I patted my pocket anxiously to reassure myself the ring-box was still there, awaiting the best moment for tonight.

"Thank you to everyone who worked to put this wonderful display of food in front of us, it looks fantastic. So, let's not waste anymore time. Let's eat!"

Lizzy and I dove into the food with the frenzied excitement that Thanksgiving always managed to inspire. I grinned as we dominated the table. Lizzy had brought so much fun and adventure into my life, and I couldn't help but spend the whole dinner anxious for the proposal.

It wasn't just the nerves of what her answer would be- though that was certainly terrifying- it was also the idea of being able to spend my life with her. I wanted that. I wanted that more than anything. I wanted to give her a ring that connected her to me for the rest of our lives.

I wanted her.

After what seemed like years, the noise began to die down as everyone slid further back into their seats with fuller bellies and lowered eyelids.

I turned to Lizzy, "Let's take a walk."

"A walk?" She laughed, "It's nine at night."

"Considering how much we just ate, I think I could use the exercise."

Lizzy shrugged and took the last sip of her soda before taking my hand and starting towards the door.

I looked back at the table behind us. Jane's eyes twinkled with knowledge as the rest of her sisters and her mother giggled quietly with excitement. Mr. Bennet gave me a respectful nod, and Charlie gave me a big grin and a thumbs up.

I took a deep breath and turned forward again, as the nerves in my stomach kicked up a storm.

"I finally finished _War and Peace_ this morning," I started, once we'd made it out the door, "It's been a while, but I did."

Lizzy laughed back, squeezing the hand that was interwoven with mine, "And did you like it? Considering it's both mine and Gigi's favorite book, I should hope you did."

"I did, very much," I supplied, happily, "In fact, there was a certain line that I read that I've been thinking about for days now."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"'We are asleep until we fall in love.'"

Lizzy turned to me and gave me an endearing smile which only managed to make my stomach flutter more, "That's rather lovely."

"And very true," I pressed on, "If I'm being completely honest, I was totally and utterly asleep until I met you. And then..." I chuckled, "And then you came and changed absolutely everything. Everything I did, and knew, and felt. All of it..." I stopped where we were, under a beautiful, strong oak tree, "I'm a completely different man now. And I owe you the world for that. Lizzy, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life, and if it's true that we're asleep until we fall in love..." I sunk down onto one knee and took her hand gently, "Then let's wake up. Together."

Lizzy's other hand flew up to her mouth as her eyes began watering.

"Will you do me the great, _great_ honor of being my wife?" I asked, sincerely, opening the ring box in front of me.

She took a few deeps breaths before nodding and breathing, "Of course I will."

I flew upward and gathered her in my arms. Her joyful laughs reverberated against my chest and I grinned as the butterflies in my stomach turned to fireworks. Exhilarating energy surged within me and I didn't know what to do with it, other than lift her up and spin her around.

"I can't believe you picked today," she giggled against my chest.

"Well, what else could I do? It's the anniversary of one of the happiest days of my life. I hoped I could make it the anniversary of two..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! This is another story that I've had forever, and while I think it needs to still be edited more, I just needed to stop stalling and just publish it.  
> Pls leave kudos or comment! Love hearing from you guys!
> 
> Tumblr: were-what-killed-the-dinosaurs.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Comment or kudos if you liked!
> 
> Check out my tumblr: were-what-killed-the-dinosaurs.tumblr.com


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